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TheVisionThing
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actionundertheauthorityoftheUN,butjustifyingitsuseofmilitary
forceasahumanitarianintervention.NATOis2011interventioninLibya,
justifiedundertheUNis“responsibilitytoprotect”furtheralarmedRussia
thatinternationalsupportwascoalescingaroundWesternattitudes.But
wethoughtRussia,too,wascoalescingaroundWesternattitudes;slowly,
grudgingly,butultimately.
EvenwithoutparanoidtheoriesthattheU.S.isfomenting“colour
revolutions”intendingtobuildtoacrescendowithregimechangein
Russia,aRussiathatisnotbecomingWesterndoeshaveabasisforconcern
aboutNATOballooningintoanall-purpose,self-justifyingforcehemming
inRussianinfluence.AndRussiaissimplynotgoingtocountenancean
internationalorderinwhichtheadvanceofdemocracyandhumanrights
supersedesthestateissovereigntytodowhateveritchooseswithinits
territorialboundaries.
Butevenconcedingallthosearguments,whathasgonewrongis
notNATOrespondingtonewchallengesincreativewaysthatexpand
thezoneofpeaceinEurope.ItisRussiachoosingnottobepartofthat
expansion.Russiaisnarrativeerasesfromthestorytheirchoicesthat
increasinglypersuadedWesterngovernmentsthatRussiawasbecoming
anauthoritarianstatethatdidnotrespecttheruleoflaworthesanctity
ofinternationalbordersorthesovereigntyofotherstatesoracknowledge
thathumanshaveinherentrights.NordidRussiabelieveintheprinciple
ofstatesovereigntyitdemandedforitselfsinceitsoughttointimidateor
corruptothersocieties.
WhathasgonewrongthathaspreventedaEuropewholeandfreeis
thestrangulationofpoliticalrepresentationandcivilsocietyinRussiaas
Putinconsolidatedpower.HisRussiangovernmentpreferstostandoutside
EuropeandthreatenitthanjoinEuropeandparticipateinit.Ithaschosen
tobeaspoilerratherthanabeneficiary,andthatislikelytoremaintruefor
aslongasPutinremainsinpower.
RussiaposesadirectmilitarythreattothefreecountriesofEurope,
asdemonstratedbytheirrecklesschallengestoWesternairspaceand
destabilisingshort-noticelarge-scalemilitaryexercisesatNATOisborders.
TheyareinviolationoftheConventionalForcesinEurope(CFE)Treaty,
theIntermediate-RangeNuclearForces(INF)Treaty,andmanyothers.
